“We’re fucking idiots,” he bites out.
“They couldn’t have gotten far,” I say. “Her bed was still warm, I deliberately felt inside it, just in case it was important.
“I still don’t understand how he could get in and out without our knowledge.”
“I don’t know either,” I reply. “Maybe he has an inside man—someone on our team might have accepted a bribe, even with all we pay them. But I don’t care about that right now. Let’s just findher. In the meantime, Reid, you call this Mayor Barnes asshole back and keep him on the phone for as long as possible. I’ll call the FBI and have them try to track him.”
“Wait,” he says, glaring at the figure on the screen carrying Sierra through the back door. “Before that, let’s call Talon.”
CHAPTER 42
Talon
After all the excitement of the past few hours, it’s good to be on my own again. Out here in the forest… it’s the only place I’ve ever felt completely comfortable. At home. No second-guessing what to say, no trying to read between the lines or wonder if someone is being honest—or, more often than not, lying.
It’s not that I don’t like people. I do. I just find them… hard work. I wish I didn’t. I wish I was more like Luke. He moves through the world so easily, especially around women. If it hadn’t been for him, I’d probably still be a virgin. With his help, I’d managed to get past my shyness enough to talk to a few women in the local bars, and we’d gotten lucky together a few times.
That’s all behind me now. I don’t want anyone but Sierra. For all his flirting, I don’t think Luke does either.
It’s strange, thinking about how things have turned out between the four of us—Sierra, Luke, Reid, and me. That hike up to the waterfall had been the turning point. After that, everything just seemed to fall into place.
That said, I don’t think I could ever give this up. Not completely. The mountains are part of me. My family is here, ina way I can’t explain. Maybe Sierra can spend time out here with me as well as at the retreat. We haven’t worked out the details yet, but I’m sure we will.
Life might not change as much as I once thought. Reid and Luke running the retreat. Mez working with my hands—furniture, engines, whatever needs fixing.
Speaking of which, the new engine for Sierra’s Chevy should arrive tomorrow. It’ll take time to get it fitted properly, but I don’t mind. It’ll be a job worth doing.
My phone vibrates, pulling me from my thoughts. I glance down. Reid.
I answer immediately.
“Yeah?”
“Tal, you there?” His voice is tight. Not like him.
“I’m here. What is it?”
“It’s Sierra. She’s been taken.”
For a second, the words don’t make sense.
“Taken? What do you mean?”
“Barnes. Amanda’s husband. Him, or someone working for him. They took her.”
A cold weight settles in my chest.
“How do you know?”
“They left a note. I called the number—spoke to him. He admitted it. It wasn’t him who came for her, though. One of his men. Must’ve drugged her—no one heard anything.”
My jaw tightens.
“How long ago?”
“Twenty, maybe thirty minutes. Not long, and we don’t think he had a vehicle.”
That’s actually good news. It means he can’t have gone far. Especially if he’s carrying an unconscious Sierra. There might still be time…